Teeth Whitening Options

Teeth whitening options have increased significantly in the past decade.  Presently, there are 3 primary methods used to bleach teeth:  dentist-supervised at-home nightguard bleaching, in-office power bleaching, and mass marketed over the counter products like Crest Whitestrips.  With the development of numerous over the counter teeth bleaching options have come a great deal of national advertising to promote those products and these advertising claims are mostly not proven by research.  These products are a “one-size-fits-all” teeth whitening solution that can work in certain instances, but to truly get your teeth their whitest a prescription strength whitening formulation coupled with a custom made delivery system for your mouth is unsurpassed.  The most commonly used agents for teeth bleaching are hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide, both in a gel form.

Dentist administered at-home whitening using a mouthguard-like appliance has been the most common method of bleaching teeth.  This process consists of the fabrication of a custom made mold of the patient’s teeth and the use of a gel bleaching agent once a day for 2-3 weeks.  Results depend on the compliance of the patient and the type of staining the teeth have.  The bleaching material seems to work best on yellow and brown stains, but seem to work poorly on blue and gray stains.  Patients usually have a highly satisfactory result. 

The OTC products come in various concentrations, delivery modalities, and application times.  They can be applied using a strip, a paint-on method, or other modes and application times vary by product. 

The in-office power bleaching procedure requires the use of a high concentration of bleaching gel for maximum results.  Many systems also include the use of heat and/or high intensity light.  The primary advantage of this option is convenience.  The patient can get a whiter smile in about an hour while sitting in the dental chair.  The dentist and assistant work together to treat the patient’s teeth with a powerful whitening gel.  The disadvantage of this option is the higher price (around $500) and the possibility of the bleaching causing sensitivity of the treated teeth.  At Allen Dental, we take every precaution to prevent that sensitivity from occurring by using specially formulated gel with antisensitivity medicaments.  Please call us if you have any questions about our teeth whitening options or if you wish to schedule a consultation.